[Buzzards Circle N]

For all you pro's or claim to be??

If using a stick burner:

If you build a big fire to preheat with lets say a lees expensive wood like pecan, get it to a good bed of coals and then start cooking with an apple or a sweet would somthing would this work??

[Mike (AZBarbeque)]

Absolutely.  I usually use Lump Charcoal and some pecan to get the smoker up to temp, then once I get the food on, I add the flavor wood. 

The important thing is to get your bed of coals going.  Once you do that, maintaining temps should not be too bad.

Let us know how it works out. 

[chefrob]

funny, i use lump and oak......then smoke with pecan.

[azkitch]

Yeah. What Rob said. I'm going to start laying Mesquite as my coalbed, as I have a bunch.

[Lizard333]

What kind of stick burner are you using??  I usally start with oak, cause it is cheap up here in Flag, and then switch to Pecan, apple, mesquite.....  Once the oak has burned down, and I have a good base of coals I through on the other wood.  Works great.

[azkitch]

This weekend, I tried using my Brinkmann SnP as a stick burner. I was trying for mesquite/oak coalbed, pecan flavor. The wood all burns away, temps plummet. I need more practice. Guess I've gotta buy a half cord...

[Mark]

I use Kingsford and/or mesquite lump to preheat my Kamado and add smokewood only when I put on the meat. This weekend I did my favorite kind of yardwork in Prescott...trimming trees and vines. I got a big ol' paper lawn bag full of apple, cherry, pear and maple chunks. Plus a bunch of grapevine and blackberry twigs; even some chunks of rosemary bush. None of this wood is very big...most are an inch of two in diameter. But my Kamados don't need very much to get a good smoke rolling through them. I'll keep using last year's trimming until these have a few months to dry and season. Almost makes a weekend of yardwork fun. (You notice I said "almost")

[chas]

I use lump to start and get a good bed of coals. I add hickory and a small amount of mesquite. I would not use mesquite only because it is too strong. Everyone has his own method of smoking meat and what ever works for anyone is correct for them.

[bearbonez]

This weekend, I tried using my Brinkmann SnP as a stick burner. I was trying for mesquite/oak coalbed, pecan flavor. The wood all burns away, temps plummet. I need more practice. Guess I've gotta buy a half cord...

 Dave, have you done any mods to yer SnP? You can run 4" aluminum dryer duct from the exhaust to the food grates . It forces the smoke and air to run across the food level instead out of firebox, across the top and out. It reduces hot/cold spots. Not sure how well can keep the wood from burning up fast, I had a chargriller for a while and it leaked like crazy. Minion method and briquettes in a charcoal basket is bout the only way to get any length of burn time.

[azkitch]

I used a repurposed green bean can for the extension of the smokestack. I sacrificed a pizza pan as the firebox baffle, ventilated with a hand drill and 3 different size holes. I stuck one or two envelope trays from machines I used to work on as tuning plates. Sort of. But I never use Eileen anymore. I just use the drum! As much wood as I have, I should try again.